Steady as my Beating Heart
by Horses of Shadow and Night
Summary: One of S.H.E.I.L.D.'s assets has been struggling with her talent for over five years, and has grown frustrated with continuous failed attempted to uncover answers. After breaking out and meeting the Avengers, Thor proclaims that his brother might have the answers she is looking for. Will Loki give her the answers, or will she have to fight him for her life?
1. Chapter 1

"A cat. A turtle. A dragon. A cow. A seagull" These tests were daily routine in the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. They had been going on since before the Avengers initiative, and were still going on after. The agent whom these tests were performed on was growing increasingly frustrated with them, but she had no choice but to comply. Finally the test ended and two brown eyes stared intently at Nick Fury, waiting for him to say something more.

He crosses his arms over his chest and shakes his head at her "I just don't understand it Agent Donnelly. You are able to transform into every shape and form I can think of, except your own". The agent lowers her head sadly "I am sorry sir. I try everyday to become human again. It's just, something won't allow me to" she tells him, as she often does after these tests.

Fury approaches her and pats her sleek black neck "We'll find the answers soon enough. Another blood test might uncover-" she cuts him off with a stamp of her hoof "No! No more blood tests! I'm tired of that! They haven't given a single answer in the past five years you've done them! Please, I've missed so much of the world. Give me a mission, I can still be useful in this form I know it! Mark said he would take me!" she pleads.

Shaking his head, Fury turns and steps out of her enclosure, sealing the door shut behind him "You will remain in confinement where we can keep an eye on you and note any changes. And we will perform another blood test. Do try not to hurt this doctor" he tells her before leaving. The agent lets out an angry high pitched whinny after him, pawing the think glass walls of her prison. She turns and snorts angrily, it isn't as though she likes not being human! This isn't her fault.

Sighing, she lies down, tucking her wings to her sides carefully. Since she cannot be human, this is the form she chooses as her second. A pegasus, with a velvet coat blacker than what she assumes Nick Fury's heart must be. In this form she feels the most comfortable, as comfortable as she felt when she was a human. It is almost second nature now to return to this form after every test, like a default. She closes her eyes and forces herself to take long steadying breaths in order to prepare herself for what's coming next. Her ears flicker in the direction of the door as she hears it slide open and then close behind her.

The agent reminds herself in her head to stay still and relax as she feels the doctor rest a hand on her side. Unable to help herself, she cracks open an eye and peers up at him curiously. A man in a lab coat with dark hair with glasses is kneeling next to her, when he notices her eye on him he offers her a faint smile "I've heard you're quite a fighter" he says as he begins preparing the large needle in his hand.

She blinks at him, but doesn't say anything. He focuses on his task but continues speaking to her "Try not to hit me alright, or I'm afraid your fighting spirit won't do you any good" he warns. His tone, the way he says it, peaks the agent's interest and she lifts her head and turns to get a better look at him. He doesn't look any different than any other doctor she'd ever seen, what made him so different?

As he begins looking for a vein in her shoulder to insert the needle her ears flatten and he takes a breath to steady himself "Just stay calm" he says, speaking more to himself than to the agent. She wants to stand up, wants to lash at him, it takes all her self control to stay still as he inserts the needle and draws her blood. The minute the needle is out she launches to her feet, turning to face him. She paws the ground angrily and bares, not wishing to speak since it is so difficult in her form, but wanting to get her point across. He stands up, raising his hands "Alright! I'm leaving! Nice meeting you too agent" he tells her. She nods her head to him before he turns and leaves. Once she is alone she kicks at the clear wall of her prison angrily.

There is a crack, and she turns. She'd never hit it that hard, the thought never even occurred to her that she could physically break the wall. Perhaps this was her escape? No more blood drawings, no more tests! She turns, sending kick after kick after kick at the glass. It looks almost shattered and she smiles, one more kick and she would be free! She turns, and excitedly aims her final kick at the glass. Just as her hooves connect and shatter the thick glass wall to pieces, an alarm goes off. She ignores it, stepping out her her confinement.

Hearing footsteps, she instantly changes into a rat and scurries towards the nearest ventilation shaft. She'd been an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. for many years, she knew the place well. This wasn't the first time she'd been in the ventilation either. She scampers down the long metal shaft, listening around. As she passed near the place where her blood is tested she can hear that doctor and Nick Fury speaking, along with another agent whom she instantly recognizes as her handler. Curiously, she stops over the grate and looks down at them, listening.

"Her DNA is certainly extraordinary, but I'd need to perform more tests on this sample. Would I be allowed to take it to Stark Tower?" the doctor asks. Fury considers before nodding "Not that I think Stark has anything that will help you discover Agent Donnelly's problem, but you might as well give it a shot Doctor Banner" he consents. The agent's eyes narrow and she yells down into the room "You better cherish that sample Doctor Banner! Because I'm never giving another sample again!".

Fury and her handler immediately look up at the grate as the little rat bounds away, Nick yelling after her and radioing the other agents of her whereabouts. She can hear her handler calling her name, desperate to have her come back to him. In any other case, she would have obeyed him and instantly returned to his side at his word. But not now, not when she was so close to tasting freedom. She runs, faster and faster, her little paws pattering on the cold metal. Finally she sees the end of the shaft, she knows that being on the helicarrier, she'll have to jump and fall. It's a risk she'll have to take, but she has faith in her abilities. The sound of the turbines hurts her delicate ears and it motivates her to move faster as she squeezes herself through the grating.

She can see the ground, they're flying over water currently which does not work to her advantage. She'll have to find land somewhere, and who knew where they were! She curses herself, she should have scampered over the bridge and looked at one of the maps to find her location. It was too late now though, and she finally gets herself through the grate and begins plummeting.

Focusing her energy, the agent quickly and effortlessly takes to her pegasus form, opening her wings and gliding over the water. With a few beats of her wings she is off, and decides to head west towards the setting sun. To her delighted surprise it doesn't take her long to spot land. However, the land she spots is New York City, and she does not know where she could possibly land in such a form.

Scanning the skyline, the first building she spots with a proper place for her to land is a tower with an A on it. Flickering her ears, it seems good enough! She simply hopes whoever the tower belongs to doesn't mind her dropping in for a moment of rest, it wasn't like she would be staying long! She slows herself, and flapping few times above the gravely platform to center herself, let's herself drop a few feet onto the ground. She looks around, the place seemed nice enough. Her ears prick alertly as she hears a noise and she turns her head to see that the windows of the building are glass, and there are several people inside looking at her with odd expressions.

Deciding it would be best to introduce herself, she politely walks up to the glass and lifts her hoof, tapping gently. A man with a glowing circle under his shirt walks over and opens the door "Uh, watch it horsey, you'll scratch the glass and I just had it replaced!" he says. She snorts in his face before walking through the door "Hmf, I would have expected more from you Mr. Stark" she tells him. It had taken her a moment, but after recognizing the glowing circle as the arc reactor she instantly knew it could only be Tony Stark.

A blond man sitting on the couch inside stares at her, amazed "You didn't tell me there were talking animals in this time!" he says in alarm. She chuckles at him before shaking her head "I'm afraid sir, that you are mistaken. I am a person" she answers. The blonde man stares at her, even more confused than he already had been. Tony slaps her shoulder lightly with the back of his hand as he walks past towards the bar "Hey, no tracking mud into my apartment. Wipe your hooves on the mat there will ya?" he asks. She snorts at him again "My hooves haven't touched mud in five years Mr. Stark! I've been held prisoner in the helicarrier!" she tells him indignantly before walking over to the couch.

Besides the blond man whom she doesn't recognize, there are three others sitting there. Two she knows, one she doesn't. Clint Barton stands up and smiles "Donnelly, they finally decide to let you out?" he asks. She shakes her head "As if, I broke out" she replies and Natasha Romanov sits and grins at Clint "Ha! I told you she would! That'll be ten dollars please!". She holds out her hand and the archer rolls his eyes before reaching into his pocket, grabbing a ten dollar bill, and slapping it into Natasha's waiting palm.

"Nick Fury and Agent Pracher are probably looking for me, I won't let them find me though. They've performed far too many blood tests and I'm tired of being a lab monkey" she tells them firmly and Natasha stands, resting a hand on her neck "Well don't worry, I've got your back. I miss going on missions with you" she tells her. The agent nods and finally the blond man raises an eyebrow "You know this thing?" he asks.

Natasha rolls her eyes "She's not a thing! She's a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and one of my friends" he tells him. The blonde man stands and approaches her "Well then, agent-" "Donnelly" the black pegasus replies. She instantly transforms herself into a small scottish terrier and holds out a paw for the blonde man to shake. He kneels down and takes her paw, shaking it "Captain Steve Rogers" he introduces.

The final person who'd been sitting, looks over at her curiously "You are a shapeshifter?" he asks in a booming voice. The agent trots over to him before hopping up on the couch next to him and looking at him with giant brown puppy eyes "Yes, you can call it that. I have fallen on hard times though, I cannot seem to change back into a human" she explains. Tony finally joins the group, drink in hand "So wait a minute, you can change into a pegasus and a dog, but you can't change into a human?" he asks. The scotty nods before transforming into several other things in rapid succession, finally settling into being a scottish terrier once more "I can change into just about everything, except a human" she replies.

The person who'd asked about her powers puts a hand on his beard, before saying "You know, I think I might know someone who can solve that problem". Before anyone can ask who Dr. Banner storms into the room with a file in his hand "You wouldn't believe the fuss at S.H.I.E.L.D. over a-" he is cut off by seeing the little black dog sitting on the couch. He looks at it quizzically "Who's dog is that?" he finally asks.

Hopping off the couch and getting away from the crowd, the agent transforms once more into being a black pegasus. Dr. Banner nearly drops the file and blood sample at the sight of her "You? How did you get here? They had the whole helicarrier under lockdown when I left!" he exclaims. The black mare merely chuckles at him "It was not hard, honestly. I would have been out sooner had I not overhead you asking Nick Fury and my handler for my blood", though she says it lightly, there is a hint of bitterness in her tone.

"I am going to test it and find out how to cure you!" he tells her, but before he can elaborate the one who the agent has yet to find the name of stands up "Banner, I do not believe you will discover the cure that way. This is an ailment that only effects her magic" he says. Steve looks at the long haired blonde "And how would you know?" he asks almost accusingly. He approaches the pegasus and rests a hand on her neck "Because Loki, he had the same problem when he first discovered his shapeshifting ability".

Everyone in the room falls silent at the mention of their enemy and the man continues "He could transform easily from one form to the next, but when he wished to return to his original asgardian form, he could not" he explains. The pegasus stares at him alertly "So you know the cure?" she asks intently. He shakes his head "I'm afraid I do not know, but my brother did find the cure for himself. He might be able to help".

Tony, who had walked over to the bar once more and was now pouring himself another drink looks up "Thor, isn't you brother locked up somewhere?" he asks. Thor nods seriously "He is, but I might be able to convince the all-father to let him come here under our supervision" he replies. The agent shoves him with her nose "Do it! Immediately!" she practically orders him, desperate for the cure.

Clint shakes his head "Gretchen, I don't think-" he starts but she cuts him off with a shake of her head and a stamp of her hoof "No! I need the answers! I know what this Loki did! Everyone on the helicarrier was watching the attack on New York last year. But if he has the answers, I must know them no matter what the risks!" she tells him desperately. Natasha nods "We'll find the answers, right Thor?" she asks, the God looks down "That is up to Loki. I cannot force him to give the answers if he does not wish it".

The agent lowers her head, the proposition of the man with the answers refusing to give them weighing heavily on her shoulders. Steve approaches her hesitantly and rests a hand on the top of her head comfortingly "We'll get the answers" he tells her. She nods "Please, to be human again would mean the world to me" she tells him. She looks at them all "Just imagine, transforming into something your not. And not ever being able to change back no matter how hard you try", all eyes fall on Banner as he examines the vile of her blood in his hand.

He looks up "Thor, get Loki here. I'd like to test this blood sample anyway and see if it might have any hints at all" he says before turning and heading down to the lab. Thor turns and heads to his room to retrieve the tesseract and go home, bidding farewell to his friends over his shoulder. The pegasus walks over to Clint and presses her nose into his palm, looking for comfort. He gives it to her by lifting his hand and rubbing her big ears gently, Natasha stands at her side and strokes her neck, combing her fingers through the agent's silky mane "It'll be alright Gretchen" she assures her.

If the agent could cry, she would. However being a pegasus she could not express her grief. Perhaps, she thought to herself, that was part of her problem. No one, not even her handler who knew her better than anyone, could see what she was feeling. They couldn't understand the constant pain she felt in her heart every time she was not allowed on a mission for her facial expression could not give her away. She closes her eyes and focuses on the comforting words of Clint and Natasha, she remembered a time she'd been able to go on missions with them.

'It'll be alright' they told her, and she held them to their word. Clint and Nat were hardly ever wrong, after all. If they said things would be alright, then she was sure that they would be.


	2. Chapter 2

Waiting was not something Agent Donnelly was good at, which frustrated her handler on numerous occasions. As she sleeps she dreams of those occasions, it all seems so vivid to her she whimpers in her sleep. Each time she does, Clint, who had stayed to comfort her through the night, hushes her and strokes her neck gently. Yet she does not feel his gentle comforting, she only feels what goes on in her dream. These dreams weren't uncommon to her, far from it, they happened multiple times a week. They were never any easier on her though, the memories, even the happier ones, hurt her heart.

_"If you didn't rush into things so aggressively, you wouldn't end up fighting for your life every time!"_ _a voice reprimands from her bedside. A young girl with brown eyes and a smirk on her face turns her head on the pillow to look up at the one who'd spoken "Sowry Cwacker, it's hawd to think when things awe going fast" she tells him weakly. Their mission had ended with her getting shot out of the sky while in her pegasus form. She'd ended up shifting back to her human form before hitting the ground, and the force had knocked her out for some time. Now that she was awake, everything hurt. _

_Cracker, the one who had reprimanded her, hated when she called him cracker. She called him that because it rhymed with his name, Agent Pracher. He patiently sighs and takes her hand. She's wasn't doing very well right now, he would let the name slide for the time being. He's about middle aged, with sharp blue eyes and an easy-going smile. He is balding slightly, which is often something his young asset uses to tease him with. What hair is does have is short, and black that is slowly but surely graying. He blames her for every new gray hair he finds. _

_Agent Pracher squeezes her hand, his eyes soft "Gretchen, please. You have to stop doing this to me. I worry about your safety" he tells her sincerely. The girl sighs softly, closing her eyes and squeezing her handler's hand back "I know" she replies. And she does know, she knows he worries every time she changes form and charges into fights, she knows he stays with her in the medical bay every moment possible until he's absolutely sure she'll be alright. She knows, and she admires and respects him all the more for it. No other person in her life had never cared for her welfare as much as he did. He reaches a hand and brushes a few strands of her messy brown hair away from her face "I'm getting old. One of these days your antics are going to give me a heart attack" he tells her with a teasing smile. _

_She opens her eyes once more and looks up at him, laughing lightly for a moment before she winces in pain and draws a sharp breath, squeezing her eyes shut, laughing hurt. "Well I will be on ma best behayior next time then" she replies once the pain subsides. The two of them know that she will not hold to her words, she says that every time she gets into one of these positions. Still he smiles at her reassuringly, as though he believes her.  
_

_Exhaustion from battling the pain begins tugging on Gretchen and she feels herself drifting to sleep. Before she drifts to sleep though she asks "Agent Pwacher?". He rubs his thumb in circles on the top of her hand "Yes?" he asks, she takes a deep breath as though what she is about to ask is a question that will be life or death "If something tewible does happen to me. You won't leave me, will you?" she asks. Her question throws him off for a moment, as many times as he often wished he could ditch her during missions when she became irrational, he knew he never could leave her.  
_

_"I promise you, I'll never abandon you no matter what" he tells her.  
_

And she believed him. She believed everything he ever told her. But thinking back now, she realized he had not held to his words. It was what that little voice in the back of her mind had always told her, the voice she had tried so hard to ignore until now. Nobody really cared about her, not even her handler. She was just another agent out of many. True, she could change into all sorts of animals, something that no other agents could do. But where had her abilities gotten her? She was a prisoner, a prisoner of S.H.I.E.L.D., locked up and tested on like she was the mindless creatures she could take shape of.

Had her handler stopped them? No, in fact he never visited her anymore while she was contained. When she'd seen him through the ventilation shaft during her escape it had been the first time she'd seen him in months. She had dearly missed him, and her loneliness was part of the reason she broke out. She just couldn't be locked away in solitary confinement anymore. She just couldn't.

As Gretchen blinks her eyes open, it is nearly three in the morning. She is lying on the ground behind the couch with a blanket draped over her back. The room is empty and dark, with the exception of Clint of course. However sometime during her dream he'd dozed off and was now sound asleep leaning against her shoulder. She looks out the large windows silently, New York City is bright and strange to her eyes. She can hardly remember the last time she was even here.

She lowers her head to the ground and closes her eyes, trying to go back to sleep. She has not had her eyes closed for more than a few moments when thunder rumbles outside. Startled slightly, her eyes snap open and she lifts her head, her ears immediately alert and listening around to every sound. Someone is outside the window, on the landing she'd come in on. Turning her head, she nudges the archer and he swats sleepily at her "Not now Gretchen" he grumbles. She shoves him with her nose again, knocking him on his side. He glares at her, before he looks past her and to the window.

Thor has returned, and his brother is in chains behind him. They enter together and the agent immediately pulls herself to her feet and stares at them. Thor's brother keeps his gaze trained to the floor, not making eye contact with anyone or saying anything. Thor gently nudges him along "Come Loki, meet the mortal shapeshifter!" he encourages. There is a long silence and tension fills the air before Thor's dark haired brother finally lifts his gaze and runs it over the black pegasus before him.

"Mortals cannot shapeshift" he simply states after a long moment "You are fooled brother. It must be an illusion". The pegasus flattens her ears before changing into a canary and flying over to Loki. She lands on his head, and begins pecking him angrily causing him to swat at her. She flies away and lands delicately on Thor's shoulder, tipping her head to the side and chirping at him innocently. Loki rubs his head before growling "Fine, you have caught my interest. Change back into being a pegasus now and speak. I'd like to return to my cell in a timely fashion, if you don't mind".

Gretchen returns to being a pegasus as Thor turns to Loki "Brother-" he is cut off "Not now Thor! I told you, I am only here to get a little fresh air and to see if perhaps this mortal intrigued me any. She has caught my attention, however I still do not see why I should assist her". Gretchen approaches him "Perhaps we could make an exchange of some kind for your services?" she asks slowly, suddenly feeling wary of the God before her. Loki narrows his eyes and wishes he could cross his arms across his chest, but the shackles prevent him from doing so "What could you possibly have that I would want?" he all but spits at her.

She smiles gently, trying to coax a little bit of goodness out of him "Freedom perhaps? A second chance?" she asks, the dark haired man shakes his head "I can live without those things! Besides, these fools would never grant me such things". The agent rolls her eyes "Oh, you're such a petty god. Why not just do it for your own entertainment? You cannot possibly be having a good time sitting in a cell all day and night doing nothing. You must be bored". He stands there, seething at her insult, but he still considers the truth of her words before finally nodding once "I suppose I might have a few tricks up my sleeve. However, you will be the only one who can save yourself. Odin has limited my magic a great deal. Otherwise I would change you back myself" he explains.

"Do you at least know what's wrong with me?" she asks him intently. Clint keeps a sharp eye as Loki begins walking around her, examining her form "This form is how you feel most comfortable?" he asks her as he walks. She nods to him and he looks her in the eye once he's in front of her again "You were on a mission, or performing some sort of task that forced you to remain in this form for an extended period of time. Am I wrong?" he asks. Gretchen blinks in surprise, how could he have known that?

His words are indeed right, her last mission she and her handler had gotten into a spot and she'd had to fly out. She was a pegasus for nearly the entire mission in order to fly and get around quickly and easily, the mission was nearly a month long. Finally she nods and Loki turns back to look at Thor "I know the problem. It's as I thought when you explained it to me". The God of Mischief turns back to her, his blue-green eyes continuing to scan her form "Your magic recognizes this form as your natural one. You were in this body most, so it simply got used to it after a while. It's DNA overlapped the human parts of you. That is why you are finding it difficult to change back. Your magic has overlapped its recognition of that form with this one".

Agent Donnelly tips her head to the side, bemused "What exactly does that mean for her?" Clint asks for her. Loki returns to his brother's side, looking at Clint and fidgeting slightly in discomfort under his gaze "It means that fixing it will be no easy feat without my magic" he states plainly. Before anyone can say anything Tony walks into the room, turning the lights on and blinding everyone in the room "Forget it reindeer games. I wouldn't even trust you with only enough magic to pull a rabbit out of a hat" he tells him. Loki raises an eyebrow "Why would I wish to do something such as that?" he asks, genuinely confused.

Thor puts a hand on his shoulder and Loki quickly shrugs it off "Do not mind him brother. So you will help her?" he asks. Loki stares at the agent for a long time, she stares right back at him. Finally he looks back to Thor "I will do what I can. I cannot promise you the answer" he replies. Thor smiles brightly and walks over to Gretchen, patting her neck "My brother is most humble. He is the wisest sorcerer I know. He will change you back" he assures her. She smiles at him "Thank you Thor" she replies softly. Thor turns and beckons to his brother, escorting him towards the elevator so he can take him to his floor of the tower and show him around.

They are not gone long when Steve walks in the room, followed not long after by Natasha. Gretchen turns and walks to the far side of the room to think over what the God had just said. Loki had agreed to help her change back, but what would that mean? What if he'd lied, like he'd done when he was being held prisoner of S.H.I.E.L.D. during his last visit to earth? She is broken out of her thoughts by someone calling her name, her head snaps up "What?" she asks. Steve is standing next to her and he raises both hands defensively "Easy. I just wanted to see how you were" he tells her.

She smiles and lets out a small sigh "Oh. Well, I'm alright Captain Rogers. I'm a little afraid now of what I've gotten myself into, but I'll be alright" she tells him. Steve is about to say something in response when a voice comes out of nowhere, startling Agent Donnelly and causing her to spread her wings out, knocking over Steve and breaking a lamp that had been on a nearby table. She stares around wide eyed and the Avengers stare back at her before the voice grabs their attention once more "Sir, you have visitors from S.H.I.E.L.D." it says. Tony waves a hand, looking annoyed "Jarvis, tell them for the last time we do not approve of Avenger credit cards!" he says.

"I don't believe that's what they wish to speak to you about sir. I believe they are inquiring about your visitors" the voice replies and Tony groans "Fine. Send them in" he tells him. Five minutes later Nick Fury steps off the elevator, followed by another agent. Gretchen's eyes light up for a moment before she shrinks back behind Natasha and Clint. Before she can transform into some sort of smaller creature the other agent shakes his head at her "Gretchen! No games. Now come here!" he orders her.

Head held low, she walks over to the agent and looks up at him sheepishly "Pracher-" he shushes her quickly and she looks back down. Tony walks behind his bar "Care for a drink Fury?" he asks casually. The director shakes his head "Too early for that Stark. I'm just here to get back our runaway" he says, brandishing a metal collar and a chain. Agent Donnelly presses her head into her handler's side, and he silently places a hand on her head, rubbing her ears comfortingly. As angry as she felt at him, she'd missed him too much to act out at that moment.

Bruce enters the room just as Nick Fury is about to attach the collar "Fury. Isn't it a little early for this?" the doctor asks. Fury shakes his head and clamps the collar around her neck "The sooner she's back on the helicarrier, the better" he replies bluntly. Steve approaches "Why? What is so dangerous about her that she must be locked up?" he asks and Gretchen looks up at him in surprise. "She doesn't know how to control her abilities! She must be kept under wraps until she can" Fury replies, Steve crosses his arms "She can control her abilities just fine. She can change into anything she wants when she wants to. We have all seen her do it!" he replies defensively.

"Sir-" Gretchen tries to speak but she's quickly hushed once more and she sighs, hiding her face in her handler's pant leg. Fury ignores the pair of agents and keeps his focus on the disenchanted Avenger before him "If she could control her abilities she would be a human right now, not a winged horse!" he states, flicking the chain and causing Agent Donnelly to throw her head up for emphasis. Steve cannot think of a comeback, but he's saved by Tony stepping forward "We have someone who can get her to change back to being a human".

Fury seems intrigued "Oh? That's why Thor used the tesseract then. Tell me Stark, who is this someone who can change her back?" he asks. Tony falls silent, but he doesn't look away from Fury. Natasha finally answers for him "It's Loki. Thor has him chained and his magic was confiscated on Asgard. I still don't trust him. Gretchen seems more than willing to do his bidding if it means he changes her back though" she states.

Agent Pracher puts his hand under Gretchen's chin, pulling her head so she's looking him in the eyes "You were willing to take answers from that, monster?" he asks her. Finally getting over missing him, she throws her head and backs away from him, pulling the chain taut as Fury holds her "He's no more a monster than you seem to think I am" she snarls bitterly. Her handler's expression turns to one of shock and hurt as he approaches her slowly "Gretchen I never thought yo-". She cuts him off with a stamp of her hoof "If you didn't think I was a monster you wouldn't have let them lock me away like one! You wouldn't have allowed them to test me like some sort of mindless experiment. You wouldn't have abandoned me!" she says.

Her voice growing frantic, Tony quickly ordered Jarvis to find Thor and Loki and send them down. Gretchen's handler shook his head, continuing to approach her, she pulls at her restraints in a desperate attempt to get away but Fury had planted himself firmly and wasn't going going to allow the chains to slip from his grip. The older agent reaches her, placing one hand on her right cheek and the other on the top of her nose "I didn't abandon you Gretchen. What would give you such an idea?" he asked. She tried to pull her face out of his grip once more but he held her firmly.

Finally she asked a question, simple and innocent "Where have you been?". He swallowed, where had he been? He'd been under the impression she' was safe, that he could work without worrying about her. He was clearly very wrong and he rubbed his thumb back and forth on her cheek to calm her "Working. Whether you are with me or not, I am an agent. I have a job to do" he tells her. She finally manages to pull her head out of his grasp, and she turns her back on him, lowering her head "That's not good enough Pracher, it's not good enough" she tells him coldly.

Before he can try to reason with her anymore Thor and Loki step off the elevator and stand before director Fury. The director begins to question them heavily, but Gretchen doesn't listen. She merely stands, staring at the ground and occasionally glancing up at her handler who is frozen on the spot. Suddenly something happens that shocks everyone in the room, and horrifies one. Fury gives the ok for Loki to try and fix her, as long as both he and Gretchen remain under the careful watch of the Avengers, and as long as S.H.I.E.L.D. is given constant updates on their progress.

Gretchen's handler walks over to Fury, wide eyed "You are not serious. You would let him do who knows what to her?" he asks. Fury nods "I suspect Thor will not allow his brother to do anything inhumane to Agent Donnelly" he states before turning to leave, dropping the chain behind him. Before Agent Pracher follows he storms up to the God, narrowing his eyes "I will be watching my asset closely. If I find a single hair, feather, or scale out of place on her. I will find a way to kill you, and that is not a threat, that is a promise". The two men stare each other down before Agent Pracher turns and follows Fury out of the room.

Steve walks over to the pegasus, unclasping the collar that had been forgotten in the spur of the moment. Gretchen smiles weakly at him, thanking him before turning and approaching Loki. She raises her head and gazes at him steadily "What would you have me do?" she asks simply. Green eyes look up at her, studying her form once more before stating simply "I wish you see you in action first mortal, then I will attempt to change you back". There's a tense silence in the room as the two shapeshifters size each other up. Finally the black pegasus nods "Find me a fight, and you'll see me at my best" she tells him.

Loki smirks, believing with all his heart the foolish mortal would prove useless in battle, and that her defeat would be entertaining to watch. Gretchen reads his face quickly and smirks as well, she would be more than happy to disappoint him. She seemed to be good at disappointing people anyway.

* * *

**Helloooo people. So uh, this is my first attempt at an Avengers fic. And I'm really sorry the characters are a bit ooc, or a lot in some cases. I'm trying my hardest. **

**Please review, I know this is not the greatest. So please give me some advice or something! Anything! All is appreciated. Thanks for Reading!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

What started out as merely seeing Gretchen in action, quickly transformed into becoming a S.H.I.E.L.D. sporting event. All the agents in the New York City headquarters had heard about Agent Donnelly by noon the next day, and the day of the fight they were driving upstate in droves at the crack of dawn just to get a good seat on the edges of the field they'd once used to test weapons.

They were as far away from New York City as they could go, not wanting to destroy the city or unintentionally injure citizens while they showed Gretchen's abilities in combat. All the Avengers had drawn straws that morning, Captain Rogers got the short stick and had to suit up. He would be her opponent in this scrimmage. Before they leave Gretchen's handler comes to fetch her.

She looks at him warily as he approaches, her ears flattening to show her displeasure at his return. He takes one step too close and she throws her head up, baring her teeth at him and backing away. He sighs "Gretchen, not now" he insists, but he cannot get close enough to get a halter on her. "What do you say?" she asks suddenly, causing him to pause "Please Gretchen, may I?" he forces out, clearly annoyed. She nods and closes the gap between them, lowering her head.

He fastens the leather halter on her head and clips a rope to the bottom loop under her chin as though she is an ordinary farm horse. The halter has a black pendant tied to it, with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logo stamped in silver. Once the halter is secure Gretchen tosses her head and her handler tugs down on the rope sharply "Now Gretchen, don't be childish" he tells her. She eyes him, wanting to say something but decides against it and begins pawing the ground anxiously in an attempt to settle her nerves.

"Gretchen we're going to have to fly to the field" Agent Pracher tells her after a moment once she has settled down. She looks at him a moment before nipping at the rope, showing him that there is no bridle without having to speak. He sighs "I know I should have brought your bridle. Nevermind it though, I'll have one of the agents bring it to the field for after the battle. Head down" he orders. She raises her head up out of his reach and backs away. They continue to fight before she is finally forced to lower her head. He takes the rope, clipping one side to her right cheek and trying the loose end of the rope to her left cheek. Her handler prays she'll be sensitive enough to feel him steering her. They hadn't flown with a halter in many years.

Steve comes out to see Gretchen one more time before they face each other. He's startled by how animalistic she is acting. Half rearing and pawing the air as her handler stands by her shoulder and holds the makeshift reins. Steve raises an eyebrow "Is she alright?" he asks. Agent Pracher looks over to him "She's fine. She just gets a little anxious before fight. She loses a bit of herself, a side effect of her shape shifting. Once she's on the field she'll have her head again" he explains, patting Gretchen's neck. She snaps at him and he pulls his hand away "Don't try to bite me! I'm telling the truth!" he says. She snorts in his face and he rubs the center of her forehead "I know you're excited, let's get out there".

Gretchen nods and looks up at Steve "Good luck Captain" she says earnestly. With that her handler leads her out the glass door she'd come in and to the gravel balcony. He takes a deep breath to steady himself, before hoisting himself onto her back. He groans "I'm getting too old to do this" he tells her, taking a fistful of her mane and tensing. He'd never liked riding her, it wasn't that he didn't trust her, well, perhaps it was because he didn't trust her. Gretchen chuckles before spreading her wings and nodding, showing she's ready.

He gives her rein and asks her forward, and with a valiant leap she's flying over the streets of New York City. He tugs her reins, guiding her in the direction she's supposed to be flying in. Suddenly Iron Man flies up beside them, causing Gretchen to drop several feet as he startles her. Once she's steady in the air again Tony tells them to follow him. They do, and it isn't long before they're making their landing in the field. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents all cheer wildly at the sight of the black pegasus and her disheveled handler. He quickly gets off her back, untying the rope and clipping it on the halter loop under her chin.

She pricks her ears and examines the crowd of agents, amazed so many had come to see her. She recognizes a few of them, agents whom had been on missions with her in the past. But there are a great deal more than she's never seen in her life. New recruits, she assumes. It causes her heart to ache slightly, how much had she missed while she was locked away on the helicarrier?

The rest of the Avengers finally arrive and park on the far side of the field. Gretchen paces back and forth patiently on the end of her rope, sizing up the Captain as he grabs his shield and heads out into the field. "Don't do anything you'll regret. It's been a while" her handler tells her, his hand moving up to the buckle on her halter. She knows the minute he unbuckles it she will be launching into battle. She trembles with excitement, action after so long! It takes all her strength to remain still.

"When you're ready" Agent Pracher calls to Steve. Her opponent looks over at the Avengers all watching on the sidelines. Natasha has already pulled out a bag of popcorn and is offering some to Clint while Banner holds a clipboard and looks ready to scribble notes. Gretchen paws the ground impatiently, and the crowd yells, just as impatient as she is "Let her go!".

Suddenly Steve rushes forward, in the blink of an eye Agent Pracher has unbuckled her halter and the pegasus is barreling towards the super soldier. Just before she reaches him she transforms into a rather large grey wolf, leaping towards him. He immediately holds up his shield to deflect her, however instead of charging into him she leaps over his shoulder, spins around, and launches herself into his back before he has a chance to turn around. The two of them tumble to the ground and Gretchen clamps her jaw around his arm.

He quickly swings his arm and she lets him go, transforming back into her pegasus form and landing on her hooves. She begins striking the ground near Steve and he scrambles backwards, still on the ground, trying to avoid the flailing hooves. She manages a blow to his shin and he cries out in pain, however he doesn't leave an opening, when she rears he rolls to the side and her hooves land where he'd been lying a second ago. He stands, throwing his shield and hitting her in the wing. The pegasus snorts and flattens her ears, transforming once again into a rather large ram.

The ram bleats, turns on the Captain, lowering her head and charging towards him. He lowers his shield and her horns smash into it, she pushes against him and with a shove from Steve the ram flies back, tumbling backwards and ending up in a heap a few feet away. On the far side of the field Loki snickers, and Thor shoves him, telling him to stay quiet and watch. The agents all sit at the edges of their seats, stuffing their faces with snacks and cheering for their favorite as the battle wages on. Gretchen stands up, shaking her head she transforms once more, this time into a white tiger.

She growls, baring her teeth at Rogers "Give up?" she asks. He shakes his head, holding up his shield "I've been through worse" he replies, slightly short of breath. Her brown eyes narrow and she launches forward, faking him out this time by moving left before launching herself to his right and then barreling into his side. Her claws unsheathe and she scratches his arm. Using his good arm, Steve punches her in the face before grabbing her by the scruff and throwing her several feet away.

Gretchen hefts herself up, blood dripping from her nose and staining her white fur. Her eyes narrow as frustration and desperation begin to settle in. There is one more form she has up her sleeve, a form she only uses when she is in desperate trouble. She is reminded of this as several of the agents begin to stand up, chanting "Murphy! Murphy! Murphy!". The Avengers, with the exception of Clint and Natasha, look at the agents in confusion. Finally Tony asks "Who's Murphy?".

No one answers him though, and it isn't long before he has his answer. Captain Rogers begins approaching Gretchen after a few moment of her remaining still "Are you done?" he asks her. She begins laughing at him, causing him to stop in bemusement. She looks up at him, her eyes glinting and a broad smile on her face.

Suddenly she begins to change, her fur changing to scales and two large reptilian wings grow from her back. She begins to grow, and grow, until a large 5 story dragon towers over Steve. She is black, with dark green scales on her belly and green membrane on her wings. She laughs, looking down at Rogers through wide glowing yellow eyes before opening her mouth and breathing fire at him. The Captain quickly brings up his shield, deflecting the flames and Gretchen shuts her mouth before opening it again, showing rows of sharp teeth. The crowd of agents cheer excitedly, her handler, along with the Avengers, have grown very pale.

Steve holds up his hands in surrender, not even wanting to attempt to fight the large beast standing before him, not alone. "Awww come on Cap!" the crowd cheers but he shakes his head, beginning to head off the field. At his defeat Agent Donnelly continues to giggle like a child before she turns her head to the side, narrowing her eyes at Loki. She stalks towards the group of Avengers slowly and Iron Man holds up his hands, preparing to blast the beast should she try anything. Her eyes are not on the Avengers though, they are completely focused on the God of Mischief. Reaching a large, clawed paw down, she grabs Loki and picks him up, holding him as though she were planning to eat him.

Loki's eyes are wide and he trembles slightly, without his magic he is completely vulnerable "What are you doing?" he demands, trying to wriggle free. The dragon's grip on him tightens, making it difficult for him to breath. Her head is nearly as large as he is, and she presses her snout close to him, the smoke coming from her nostrils choking the God slightly. She narrows her eyes "Well Loki, have I disappointed you today? I believe I have proved myself in battle. Now, those answers, I want them. You will give them to me? Not much is stopping me from roasting you, except for the fact you have something I desperately need" she snarls.

Once again he tries to break free of her grasp and once again she tightens her grip further. Loki swears he hears his bones crack as she does so "I will do everything to help you! Just put me down you mindless beast!" he cries. Angry at calling her a mindless beast, Gretchen opens her mouth wide, places Loki inside, then clamps her jaw shut.

The Avengers merely stare at her in shock as she shakes her head back and forth and clenches her jaw. Loki's screams are muffled and finally, growing tired of him punching and hitting the inside of her mouth like a madman, she opens her mouth and spits him back into her paw. However she cannot grip him as she'd been doing before, as he is covered in her dragon saliva and she worries he may slip from her grasp. So she holds him up to her eye level, over 45 feet above the ground. He looks down at his brother, before looking back at the agent turned dragon "Do not insult me again. Now, I know what you've done. If I find out you've lied to me. I will roast you in this form, and I will eat you" she tells him.

Loki stares at her utterly flabbergasted, no one had ever dared to threaten him so blatantly before. Not even Thanos! They had threatened his life, saying he would wish he could feel something as sweet as pain. But to just tell him he would be eaten? He didn't know whether to be afraid or not, but he decided that being honest and really, genuinely putting the effort forward to help her turn back into a human would be in his best interest.

The god nods to her, and she places him back on the ground, next to Thor who slaps him on the back and chuckles "Brother! Dragon slime becomes you!" he teases. His brother glares at him in return before looking back up at the dragon "If I'm to help you then-" he stops as she lowers her head let it still towers above him and he has to look up to meet her gaze. She narrows her eyes at him and opens her jaw slightly to intimidate. He swallows "Then you must listen and do exactly as I say. Yes?" he asks. The dragon nods.

"Then the first thing you need to do is turn back into a pegasus" he orders, she is about to change back when several people cry out that they want photographs. Loki shakes his head "Absolutely not!" he snaps, but before he can say anything more or attempt to walk away Gretchen reaches down, picking him up once more. Every agent takes our either a camera or a cell phone, and they all begin to take countless pictures. "Hey you two. These are probably going to be posted on Facebook. Try to look cute" Tony tells them, smirking.

For most of the photos, Loki sits cross legged in Gretchen's upturned paw still dripping with saliva and scowling, while Gretchen holds her head near her palm, smiling and exposing every single tooth in her large mouth. Once the ok is given she places Loki down for the final time before returning to her pegasus form. She sticks her tongue out, opening and closing her mouth "Gosh Loki, when was the last time you had a bath? You tasted absolutely revolting. I've had tanks that tasted better than you" she says.

Natasha laughs, raising an eyebrow "You ate a tank? What mission was that?" she asks. Gretchen snorts, still trying to rid herself of the bad taste in her mouth "It wasn't a mission. Clint dared me to" she replies. Everyone stares at Clint, who just shrugs and holds out a handful of popcorn "Here Gretchen" he says. She walks over to him, eating the popcorn out of his hand. Finally Bruce asks "So uh, why Murphy?". Before she can answer Natasha and Clint burst into laughter "The dragon's named Murphy after Murphy's law. You know, everything that can go wrong will go wrong?" Nat explains.

The two assassins then begin to fill in the story of Murphy the dragon. How every one of Gretchen's forms had to be approved, to make sure she could control herself in each one. Murphy was the last form to be approved, because every time she tried to prove she could control herself as a dragon, something would happen and would cause her to make a mistake and destroy something. It was never that she intentionally destroyed things, it's just that she needed to protect herself.

As the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents begin packing up and leaving, Agent Pracher walks up to her. This time he has a military bridle in his hand, and she opens her mouth and accepts the metal bit in her mouth almost eagerly. She chomps on it and the Avengers look at her strangely. She smiles as best she can around the metal bar "I like the bit" she tells them plainly.

"So what happens now?" Gretchen asks after a moment, looking over at Loki. He shrugs "I suppose we'll start looking for a solution tomorrow" he merely replies. Suddenly Agent Donnelly's attention is drawn to a familiar man approaching the group. The other Avengers turn to look at what has alerted the pegasus, and Thor is the first to excitedly exclaim "Son of Coul!".

* * *

**I had a bit of trouble with this chapter. I've been rewriting it and rewriting it. I just couldn't get it the way I wanted it. So I just settled on the way it is now. **

**Little tidbit about 'Murphy the Dragon'. Murphy is actually based on Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. So Gretchen's dragon form looks like Maleficent, but instead of black and purple, it's black and green. And the name Murphy is from the animatronic dragon used in the Disneyland show 'Fantasmic'. And much like Gretchen, the dragon was named Murphy due to it having continuous problems when they were trying to get it in the show.  
**

**Please review! And thanks for reading!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Clint was not surprised to see Agent Coulson, nor was Natasha. The rest of the Avengers however had not been told of Phil's condition due to the fact it was a rollercoaster most of the time. He'd had many surgeries after Loki had assaulted him, and the healing process was much longer than anyone anticipated. Even when he was ready to get back to work, Fury insisted he take a long vacation. He had hardly been back at S.H.I.E.L.D. for a month.

Gretchen immediately walks over to him, nuzzling his shoulder. He smiles and puts his hand on her forehead, rubbing beneath her forelock "You made it out of a fight in one piece, I'm impressed" he teases. She chuckles "Thank you Phil. It's nice to see you in one piece too" she replies. He gives her a small nod before lowering his voice "I'm also glad to see you in the field where you belong".

Tony is the first to clap Coulson on the back "Glad to see you back Phil" he says genuinely. Coulson's eyebrows raise in surprise "Oh? You mean my name is not agent anymore?" he asks and Tony shrugs. Steve shakes Coulson's hand welcoming him back, and no one misses the awestruck look that crosses over the agent's face for a moment. Bruce also smiles to Coulson and welcomes him back.

"So what are you doing here?" Clint finally asks, and Phil reports "I've been assigned to keep taps on Gretchen and report back to S.H.I.E.L.D.". Tony huffs "What? Doesn't Fury trust my word yet?" he asks and everyone merely looks at him, silently answering his question. Agent Pracher hesitates slightly as he hands the reins over, the agent offers a small smile "Mark, I'll take care of her" he promises. Gretchen's handler nods "I know you will" he lowers his voice so only Coulson can hear "You'll do more than that".

Agent Pracher turns to walk away and Gretchen tugs on her reins "Wait!" she says, trying to follow her handler "You're not even going to say goodbye?" she asks. He turns and looks at her "It's not goodbye" he answers before turning and walking away. She continues to call for him, but he doesn't answer her. Phil rests a hand on her neck "He's not leaving you Gretchen" he tells her. She looks over at him "That's what you told me last time" she replies indignantly, he sighs "I mean it this time". She shakes her head "Didn't you before?".

* * *

The next morning, Gretchen wearily blinks open her eyes to the smell of coffee. She lifts her head and looks around, her gaze falling on the window. It's a crisp clear fall day outside, and the sun is bright and shining. Pulling herself to her feet, she approaches the window, pressing her nose to the glass. It's cold to the touch but she doesn't draw away, it seems a lifetime since she saw a blue sky.

Shaking her head, she finally turns away and begin wandering around the room, being careful not to make too much noise as her hooves clop against the hard floors. She follows the smells of coffee, and it soon becomes evident that the smell is not coming from the floor she's on, but from another floor. She searches around, finding an elevator. However she does not wish to break it, so she moves on to find a stairwell.

It doesn't take long before she's standing, looking up a flight of stairs. Taking a deep breath, she places one hoof in front of the other, working slowly to get up the stairs. She gets about halfway up before she is forced to lie down, unable to continue. The steps are too small for her hooves, and it is difficult to keep balance. Blinking back tears, she looks back down the stairs, but decides against trying to go down in fear of falling. "Still have trouble with the stairs?" a voice asks, and Gretchen looks up to see Coulson standing a few steps above her.

"Yes sir" she replies and he sighs, walking down a few steps and sitting down next to her head "You know you don't need to call me that. Now stand up, I'll help you the rest of the way" he assures her. She swallows nervously before standing, her legs shaking slightly from the effort it takes to not have them slide off the back of the step. Coulson walks behind her, resting a hand on her rump "Just keep moving forward. I won't let you fall back" he tells her.

Trusting his word, she begins making her way up the stairs once more. However she is still forced to stop every couple of steps to prevent herself from falling. Coulson patiently waits, and finally she makes it up the entire flight. Her ears prick "Where's the coffee?" she asks alertly and Coulson smiles sheepishly "On the top floor" he replies. She lowers her head sadly and he rests a hand on her neck "Just change into a dog, I'll hit the elevator button for you" he tells her.

Sighing, she shrinks and becomes a black ball of fur at Coulson's feet. He leads her to the elevator and they step in. She looks up at him "Can I do it?" she asks and he bends over, picking her up and holding her to the buttons. She reaches her paw out, pressing the top button and licks Coulson's cheek as a thank you. When they reach the top floor Coulson carries her out of the elevator and deposits her on the floor. She bounds over to the table where Thor, Steve, and Clint are all sitting.

Thor cheerfully pulls out a chair for her next to him and she hops up "What are you eating?" she asks him curiously. He hands her a smore flavored pop tart "Only Midgard's greatest delicacy" he informs her as he feeds her the pop tarts. She gobbles it up eagerly and Steve looks up from the paper he was reading, his eyes widening as he sees her polishing off the sugary pastry "Thor! Chocolate is bad for dogs!" he says, alarmed.

Coulson approaches the table with a bowl of cereal and sits down next to Clint "Don't worry about it Captain Rogers, she can eat anything a human can eat no matter what form she's in" he explains. "But she should be in her pegasus form" Loki states as he enters the room with Banner. Gretchen jumps off the chair and approaches the God, turning back into a pegasus once she's a safe distance away from the table "Why?" she asks him.

He regards her with an air of indifference "You're stuck with this form as your default, if you keep changing you'll only confuse your body even more. From this moment on, do not change into any other forms" he says. Gretchen sighs, slightly upset at being stuck a pegasus "Alright" she agrees. She walks over to the window and begins watching people on the streets below go about their lives with almost childish wonder.

The rest of the Avengers slowly filter into the kitchen, and it isn't long before they're all seated at the table eating various things for breakfast. Pepper turns on the television, flipping through channels until finally settling on TLC's 'What Not to Wear', which they'd come to terms with as being a 'neutral' show that everyone could tolerate.

Gretchen turns away from the window at the sound of the t.v.. Walking over to the television, she sits down in front of it, sheepishly looking behind her at the Avengers. Some of them seem amused at how undignified she looks, the rest are too focused on the show or on their breakfast to care how silly she looks. She turns back to the television and relaxes at the familiarity of the program. She hadn't seen a t.v. since before she was locked up on the helicarrier 5 years ago.

Phil watches her carefully as he eats his breakfast, he hadn't seen much of her and he was glad to see she hadn't changed too much. Something gnawed at him though, as if he'd expected her to change, as if change would have been a good thing. Steve notices Coulson staring at the black pegasus "What are you thinking about?" he asks casually as he eats.

Coulson turns to face his childhood hero "Oh, I just haven't seen Gretchen in a while, that's all" he replies quietly. Banner looks up "You know her well?" he asks and Coulson nods in response "I've known her since the day Mark first brought her to S.H.I.E.L.D." he replies "Clint and Gretchen trained together. Barton was the first one to ride her as a pegasus".

Clint smiles at the memory "That was a good day" he comments, overhearing the conversation. Nat raises an eyebrow "Why you?" she asks curiously and Clint's eyes drift over to Gretchen, who is completely oblivious to the conversation going on. He begins telling the story as if it were only yesterday that it happened. Even though to him, that day seems a lifetime ago.

_"Clint, if you could do anything in the whole wide world, what would you do?" Gretchen asks one day. They were at Agent Pracher's home in upstate New York while their handlers were at headquarters doing who knew what. The two of them were supposed to be training, however practicing their skill sets and fooling around in the gym could only keep the two young people entertained for so long. So they'd decided to go on a hike in the woods. They'd come across a meadow where they'd decided to sit and take a break. _

_Barton shrugs "Well, flying would be really neat I suppose" he replies, to which Gretchen laughs "But you've flown before!" she tells him. He shakes his head "No no, not flying like in a plane or on the helicarrier. I want to fly out in the open, with no floor under my feet" he explains. The girl sits up, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief "I can fly!" she tells him.  
_

_He shakes his head "No you can't, you've never flown before!" he reminds her. She stands up and jogs a few feet away before transforming into a young pegasus, stretching her wings out "Well today I will fly!" she proclaims. Clint jumps to his feet "No! You're not ready to fly! Your wings haven't fully developed yet". She shakes her head and laughs "I am plenty ready! In this form I am only one year away from being a grown up!" she informs him as if it should be obvious.  
_

_She begins walking to the far edge of the field, Clint shadows her all the way there. She turns "Get out of my way!" she orders him, her ears flattening as he keeps standing in front of her "Wait! Maybe I should come too. Just in case" he says. She tips her head to the side "Have you ever ridden a horse before?" she asks, he shakes his head and she snorts "Ok, come hop on" she tells him.  
_

_Standing at her shoulder, she gets down on one knee so he might get on her back. Once he's on she stands up and he tightens his grip on her mane. "Hang on" she tells him, beginning to trot down the field. Soon she's into a canter, romping down the field with her ears pricked. Clint grips onto her as tightly as he can, she tries to jump into the sky, but stumbles and causes the archer to lose his grip and crash to the ground.  
_

_Gretchen canters back to him "You ok?" she asks, lowering her head. He shoves her nose "I'm fine. Let's try again. I think you need to jump higher" he tells her, she nods and gets down again so he can climb on. Walking back to the end of the field, she launches herself forward. Clint once again grips her mane as tightly as he can, but it's still not enough to hold himself on he loses balance and falls off.  
_

_"Again! We're doing this!" Clint says, pulling himself to his feet. Gretchen lowers her head sadly "Maybe you're right, maybe I can't fly yet" she tells him. Barton shakes his head "No! You can do this!" he says as he pulls himself onto her back. As she walks to the end of the field he rubs her neck to give her a confidence boost "Just run as fast as you can, faster than you ever have before. We're trying to get in the air too soon. Think of an airplane. Use this whole field, don't try to get into the air until we're at the end" he says, trying to walk her through it. She nods in understanding before turning and taking off down the field at a gallop. _

_Clint hangs on as she gallops, running faster than she'd ever run before. The ground beneath them is a blur as she charges down the field. They pass the spot where they'd been trying to jump before and she gallops faster, and faster, and faster still. Clint kicks her sides to encourage her to go even faster. As they near the end of the field she spreads her wings, beating them once, then twice, on the third time she leaps into the sky.  
_

_She'd done it! Clint can hardly believe his eyes as distance between themselves and the ground grows farther and farther. Gretchen tosses her head and laughs, and Clint finally feeling relaxed on her back lets go of her mane and holds his arms out as though he were flying. She glances back at him "I know where we should go!" she tells him, turning herself so she is flying south. Barton realizes what she's thinking and smiles "Our handlers will be so thrilled!" he tells her.  
_

"We were definitely not thrilled" Phil says, taking a sip of his coffee. Clint shrugs and smiles sheepishly, taking a sip of his coffee "Well maybe the window wasn't the best entrance point. But we couldn't find a good enough landing spot!" he defends. Halfway through the story Gretchen had overheard and wandered over to the table. She chuckles "I think even if we could have found a good enough spot the landing wouldn't have been stellar. I'd never landed before, it took me almost another year after that to perfect my landing" she says.

Her gaze once again falls on the window "It's a nice day outside" she comments and Bruce, who'd been silent up to this point looks up "It's only supposed to be nice today, the rest of the week is going to be cold" he replies. Tony smirks "What? You want to go outside and play horsey?" he asks, Gretchen snorts in his face but before she can answer him Coulson's cell phone begins to ring. He quickly picks it up, flipping it open and answering coolly "Hello?".

Phil hardly gets a few words in as the call progresses. Everyone watches curiously as he asks "Are you sure about that?" followed by "I don't think she wants to do that". Finally the call ends and he looks over at the team "Unbelievable" he says, almost angrily. Steve blinks in surprise "What?" he asks and Coulson looks over at Gretchen "Fury you to report to the headquarters in New York for some testing". Before anyone can say anything Gretchen nods her head "I can do it Phil" she assures him.

After another moment she nods resolutely "Yes, I can do it. I don't need to go outside. Phil?" she asks, turning to Coulson. He sighs "So much effort to break out of S.H.I.E.L.D. only to walk right back in? If you really want to, I will take you there" he replies. With breakfast over the Avengers begin to disperse and Gretchen wanders over to the stairwell, shakily she places one hoof on the top step.

Loki wanders over "You won't make much progress that way" he tells her. She turns back at him "What would you have me do?" she asks him curiously. He points to the window and she sighs, wondering why she hadn't thought of that before. She turns and heads for the window, looking for a door. Tony notices her and shakes his head "No horsey! That window doesn't open! You have to go down to your own floor and use that window" he tells her.

She looks over at him, then to Loki before heading back to the stairwell again. Loki follows her, watching as she once again places her hoof delicately on the top step. He shakes his head "Perhaps, going down backwards would be best?" he suggests. She nods and turns around, backing down the stairwell tense and prepared for the worst. After nearly 20 minutes of hesitantly taking the steps, she manages to get to the bottom.

Once there Loki opens the window for her and she strides out. Her black mane and tail and blown in the gentle autumn breeze as she stands for a moment, looking out over the city. She glances back at Loki before leaping off, gliding down to the New York City street and then entering Stark Tower on the bottom floor.

Coulson and the rest of the Avengers are waiting for her when she gets there. It only takes a few minutes for Phil to throw on her bridle. He looks Gretchen in the eye as he fastens the final buckles "Are you sure you want to do the tests now? You can always do it tomorrow when it's cold out" he tells her. She shakes her head "I won't turn down an order" she states plainly. He grabs her reins "Alright then. Let's move out".

The group walks out onto the street. People stop and stare in awe at the black pegasus standing on the sidewalk. Tony crosses his arms and huffs "Out shined by a my little pony outside my own tower!". Loki smirks at the comment before walking side by side with Thor. Bruce offers a smile to the disgruntled billionaire "I'm sure people will lose interest in her the more they see her" he says reassuringly.


End file.
